Featured Post from Hofstra University

Understanding the Significance of Juneteenth

Jun 28, 2024

1 min

Alan J. Singer

Alan Singer, professor of education, is featured in a USA Today article about the historical significance and observation of Juneteenth.


The article notes that Juneteenth marks the day the last African American slaves were notified that they had been freed from their masters, according to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.


Dr. Singer said that during this time, an estimated 250,000 people were kept enslaved in Texas despite the Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln on Jan 1, 1863.


While Juneteenth is becoming more widely known and understood, Dr. Singer explained that there was a time when Black History was not widely discussed within the educational system.



“I didn’t learn it (until) I was an adult, really (in the) 1990s, when as a teacher, I started studying more, so I (could) incorporate it into my lessons,” he said. “I went to City College in the 1960s, and they had first introduced a course called ‘American Negro History’ and that was the first time I had learned about any of these things. I took the course because I became a political activist while at City College and I needed to know more about the African American civil rights struggles.”


Alan Singer is a Professor of Teaching, Learning and Technology. He is available to speak with media - simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.

Connect with:
Alan J. Singer

Alan J. Singer

Professor of Teaching, Learning and Technology

Alan Singer specializes in social studies education and United States history.

Social Studies EducationUnited States HistoryHistory of SlaveryTeaching race. ethnicity and class

You might also like...

Check out some other posts from Hofstra University

1 min

Government Plays Catch Up After End of Shutdown

Dr. Anoop Rai, professor of finance at Hofstra’s Frank G. Zarb School of Business, was interviewed by Newsday about the lasting economic impact of the recent federal government shutdown, the longest in the history of the United States. Dr. Rai told Newsday that the period of economic uncertainty caused by this latest shutdown is a “blip” and he expects a quick rebound as government spending resumes. “In the broad scheme of things, everything will come back to normal with a slight dip in [gross domestic production], but the question is — was it necessary?” he said. “The disruption the shutdown has caused should be measured in terms of the pain it has inflicted on a lot of people.”

1 min

Newsrooms’ Editing Decisions Under a Microscope

Mark Lukasiewicz, dean of The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication, is featured in the Associated Press article, “In Trump-dominated media world, editing video takes on new significance — as BBC uproar shows.” The article is about high level resignations at the BBC, after filmmakers behind the documentary, Trump: A Second Chance, admitted they spliced together quotes from different sections of the speech Trump made before the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot to make it seem like he was directly urging violence. Dean Lukasiewicz noted that “every editing decision taken in a newsroom is now under a microscope and can be weaponized for political purposes.”

1 min

Nassau County GOP Victories Attributed to Unaffiliated Party Voters

Lawrence Levy, associate vice president and executive dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies, was interviewed by Newsday about GOP victories in Nassau County on Election Day. The reason for the wins was that more voters unaffiliated with a political party leaned Republican. “Whatever the Republicans were selling, the independent voters were buying,” said Levy. “Outside forces that really have nothing to do with the running of the county and who would be running it had a potentially strong impact on the outcome.”

View all posts
Powered by